Saginaw Township schools seek help

Saginaw Township Community Schools officials hope partisan politics will help them pass a $40.45 million tax request.

Board of Education members plan to enlist the aid of Saginaw County Democrats and Republicans to register voters for their Tuesday, May 6, bond election, President Judith Lincoln said.

When comparing voter rolls with the names of district parents, officials found that few of the people who would most benefit from the tax couldn't vote in the last election. Officials also want to entice young voters, including recent Heritage High School graduates in their late teens and 20s, to the polls.

"We don't want to go after those groups exclusively," Lincoln said. "The more people who participate, the better for our whole community."

County Democrats endorsed the last tax and offered to help campaign for the school improvements. Republican leaders did not back the tax.

Worried that Republican voters wouldn't have supported the request if they accepted the help, the pro-bond committee shied away from the Democrats' offer.

This time around, Lincoln will seek help from both parties. If the school tax is approved in May, residents would pay 2.25 mills during 21 years to cover the cost of construction.

State Department of Treasury staffers approved the ballot issue last week, officials said.

School board members are hoping the third try leads to a win at the polls. Voters also rejected a request in May 2006, but a much larger one. The $105 million vote went down by a ratio of more than 2-to-1.

The latest request would fund safety and security upgrades, parking lot expansion and roof replacements, along with heating and ventilation, electrical and plumbing work at the district's eight schools.

The tax also would allow administrators to add computers and enclose the courtyard at White Pine Middle School to add office space and enlarge the cafeteria.

With the safety and security upgrades, the district would design and build a supervised main entrance for each school to monitor traffic.

"Our needs remain the same," Lincoln said.

Tax supporters will meet early next week to begin preparations for the May election, schools Superintendent Jerry Seese said.

About 25 percent of eligible voters cast ballots in the last election.